New York Giants reward Joe Schoen with new contract despite little proof rebuild is working: REPORT

On behalf of Giants fans everywhere ... what's the deal?

Announced Thursday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that the New York Giants have signed general manager Joe Schoen to a multi-year contract extension.

You don't have to be part of the Pat Leonard anti-Schoen brigade to be stunned by the news, either.

For a franchise buried under nearly a decade of instability, losing seasons and front-office dysfunction, the obvious question here is ... what exactly has Schoen earned?

Also, at the precipice of what could be a "new era" of winning Giants football, committing to one of the lingering thorns of past disastrous Giants seasons comes off as a confusing development ... let's check the facts around Joe Schoen.

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Since taking over in 2022, Schoen has overseen a 22-45-1 record.

Yes, there was the surprise playoff run during his first season, and the wild-card upset over Minnesota.

But since then, the Giants have steadily regressed, bottoming out with a disastrous four-win campaign in 2025 that cost Brian Daboll his job and forced ownership to once again reshuffle the organizational structure.

What makes the timing even stranger is that this extension arrives after months of growing speculation that Schoen’s influence inside the building was quietly shrinking.

Instead of letting Schoen walk into a make-or-break 2026 season under real pressure, the Giants blinked.

Now the organization is fully tying Schoen to new head coach John Harbaugh and betting that continuity can finally stabilize a franchise that has spent years chasing its own tail.

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Perhaps Harbaugh’s presence elevates the operation ... maybe Schoen finally flourishes alongside an established culture-setting coach. Or maybe Harbaugh simply inherits the baggage of four uneven years of roster construction.

Questions! Only questions and no answers pour out from this organization.

Of course, not every issue belongs solely at Schoen’s feet.

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The Giants inherited years of roster decay before he arrived, and there have been legitimate wins along the way.

Schoen has been viewed as an upgrade over predecessor Dave Gettleman but also makes Jerry Reese look like prime Bill Polian.

In one of his few wins, Schoen decided to deal Pro Bowl-level defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, which, admittedly, is one of the smartest moves the organization has made in years after they snagged the 10th overall draft pick, which resulted in Miami's Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa joining Big Blue to ideally bolster Jaxson Dart's offensive line.

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Former first-rounder Malik Nabers also looks every bit like the superstar the Giants desperately needed, though his injury status and insouciance could be concerning long term.

Still, the problem with Schoen’s tenure is that the misses have been enormous, expensive, and franchise-altering.

The Daniel Jones contract remains the clearest example of Schoen’s failures as general manager.

After one respectable season in 2022, Schoen handed Jones a four-year, $160 million contract that quickly became one of the worst quarterback deals in football.

The decision crippled roster flexibility, delayed the search for a legitimate long-term quarterback solution, and forced the Giants into serious financial turmoil when they suddenly released him in 2024.

Then there is Evan Neal.

Drafted seventh overall in 2022, Neal was supposed to become the franchise right tackle for the next decade. Instead, he turned into one of the biggest draft busts of the Schoen era. Neal struggled with technique, footwork, conditioning, and consistency almost immediately. Injuries only made matters worse. Rather than solidifying the offensive line, he became another reminder of the Giants’ ongoing inability to properly identify and develop foundational offensive linemen.

The Kayvon Thibodeaux situation is not far behind.

Thibodeaux entered the league with elite upside and produced flashes, including a double-digit sack season, but the Giants have never fully developed him into the dominant weekly game-wrecker many expected. Even worse, trade speculation now follows him almost every offseason.

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Schoen’s overall drafting record remains WILDLY inconsistent.

Deonte Banks has struggled with discipline and technique after being selected in the first round.

Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan failed to provide reliable offensive line depth.

Jalin Hyatt is a BUST.

Too often, the Giants have found themselves recycling the same roster problems every offseason.

The free-agent track record has also produced mixed returns.

The Darren Waller trade quickly collapsed into an injury-plagued experiment that ended with retirement.

Meanwhile, homegrown leaders like Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney and Julian Love all walked out the door. Watching Barkley land in Philadelphia and immediately punish the Giants twice a year only amplified the frustration surrounding Schoen’s roster management (see the infamous "Hard Knocks" clip of Schoen and John Mara).

That is why this extension feels so jarring.

Ownership is essentially betting that recent first-round draft picks Abdul Carter, Jaxson Dart, Arvell Reese and Mauigoa can erase years of instability and uneven decision-making.

Maybe Harbaugh changes the culture overnight.

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Maybe Dart becomes the quarterback this franchise has spent years searching for. But right now, this extension feels far more rooted in hope than accomplishment ... which is a difficult sell to any long-suffering Giants fan.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela